The present invention relates to hospital beds and, in particular, to hospital beds of the motor-driven articulated type.
Traditional hospital procedures for handling critical care or intensive care patients usually involve a number of transfers of a patient from one surface to another. For example, a critical care patient arriving at a hospital may be initially placed upon a wheeled stretcher and taken to an X-ray unit where a transfer onto an X-ray surface takes place. Additional transfers onto an operating table, weighing scale, recovery room bed, critical care bed, etc., may later be required.
The act of transferring a patient, especially a heavy patient, is difficult and can be risky to the patient as well as to the hospital personnel. Hospital personnel may encounter substantial muscle strains, while undesirable movements of the patient may complicate the patient's condition. Also, critical care patients may be accompanied by various life-sustaining devices, monitors and hanging units which may complicate and obstruct the transfer.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to minimize the number of transfers to which a hospital patient is subjected.
Another object is to provide a novel hospital bed which is adapted to be easily pushed and manipulated so as to render it capable of traveling to various locations in a hospital.
A further object is to provide a light-weight, yet comfortable, hospital bed upon which a patient may be easily and quickly transported and which is comfortable enough to serve as a critical or intensive care bed, and/or a recovery and extended care bed.
A further object is to provide a patient-care bed of the motor-driven articulated type in which the motors can be easily separated from the bed for maintenance purposes, or to render the bed more mobile.
A further object is to mount the motors on a quick-release, quick-insertion module which provides for self-engagement between drive and driven shafts.
Another object is to provide such a bed which enables life-sustaining equipment to conveniently accompany the patient.